Was the Christianity of the era of the early Church Fathers based on literary creativity?

The Christian faith was not based on literary creativity, but it sanctifies all that is creative. Both leaders and laity were encouraged to use their creative talents to produce literature. For example, the martyr St. Cyprian of Carthage , who was an eloquent orator before his conversion, in no way diminished in eloquence after he came to the faith. Instead, his faith endowed his eloquence with a singular sweetness that helped him to care for the congregation, whether through spoken or written words. The Church followed the example of the prophets and apostles who wrote in the language of their time and did not undervalue the culture contemporary to them.⁸⁷⁹

What we have said about literary and linguistic creativity and its sanctification for the sake of edifying society in harmony and cooperation with the living and practical faith, we

875 St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, The Oration and Panegyric Addressed to Origen Argument 6 (ANF 6:27–28).

876 St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, The Oration and Panegyric Addressed to Origen Argument 13 (ANF 6:33– 34).

877 Cf. Origen of Alexandria, Letter to Gregory 2 (ANF 4:393).

878 St. Basil of Caesarea, Letters IV and Address to the Young Men on Greek Literature, trans., Roy Joseph Deferarri and Martin R. P. McGuire (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1934) Address 4, 3: pp. 391, 385.

879 Origen of Alexandria, Against Celsus 7.59–60 (ANF 4:663).

can also apply to the arts. Rather than undervaluing the arts, the early Church was able to sanctify the arts and use them to inflame the heart with divine love and yearning for heaven. A papyrus found in Egypt contains a Christian melody with music.⁸⁸⁰ We also know that the Egyptian Bishop Nepos introduced many praises and psalms sung joyfully by the faithful during the reign of Pope Dionysius of Alexandria (190–265).⁸⁸¹